Launches, reveals & excitement from Mobile World Congress

Feb 26, 2014, 05.02 AM IST

Launches, reveals & excitement from Mobile World Congress

Text: ET Bureau

After CES, it’s the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona or MWC that serves as a global launch platform for all the big names from the consumer electronics space. ET brings you a round-up of several new launches at MWC, most of which are expected to reach our shores by mid 2014.

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Samsung’s MWC Blitz: Galaxy S5 & Three Smartwatches

Samsung took the wraps off its latest Galaxy S5 smartphone.

Rather than an all-new phone, the S5 features several improvements compared to the S4 including a better 16MP camera with faster autofocus, fingerprint scanner and heart rate sensor (a first), all powered by a 2.5Ghz quad core Snapdragon processor.

Three new smartwatches also made their debut: Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit.

The Gear 2 range now features interchangeable straps and is powered by the company’s own Tizen OS. The Fit features a curved OLED screen and is focused towards fitness. The Galaxy S5 will be making its way over here in April for an estimated Rs 49,990.

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Vast Improvements: Xperia Z2 & Z2 Tablet

Sony decided to drill down and improve their flagship devices in every way possible. Both remain water proof as before and feature similar designs.

The Z2 smartphone offers ultra HD (4k) video recording even though it uses the same 20.7 megapixel camera as its predecessor. The screen is slightly larger (5.2-inch instead of 5) and it offers better contrast and colours.

The Z2 tablet is even thinner & lighter than before, features the same size 10.1-inch screen but improved internals — 2.3Ghz quad core with 3GB RAM. Storage is 16GB, but it can be expanded via micro SD. Like before, the Z2 tablet will be available in WiFi and WiFi + 3G/LTE versions.

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Tablet on a Diet: MediaPad X1

Billed as the thinnest, lightest and narrowest 7-inch Android tablet around, the MediaPad X1 is just 7.18mm thick, has a bezel size of only 2.99mm and weighs 239 grams.

Despite the diminutive size, Huawei has packed in a large 5,000mAh battery, a 1920 x 1200 pixel 7inch IPS LCD, dual cameras (13MP rear with LED flash + 5MP front) and 16GB (expandable) storage, all powered by a 1.6Ghz quad core processor and 2GB RAM. It also includes the ability to make phone calls.

In an interesting twist, you can use the X1 to charge another device, thanks to the large internal battery. It should be priced between Rs 25,000 to 30,000.

Mid-range Monsters: HTC Desire 816 & 610

Not to be left behind, HTC announced the new Desire 816 and 610 at MWC. While the Desire is mid-range, the 816 will be at the top of that range with a 5.5-inch display, 1.6Ghz quad core processor, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB storage (expandable, with 128GB card support), front stereo speakers (BoomSound) and a nonremovable 2,600mAh battery.

It also has a 13 MP f2.2 rear camera & 5MP front camera, all in a device just 7.99mm thick.

The Desire 610 has a smaller 4.7-inch qHD display and is powered by a 1.2Ghz quad core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory (expandable to 64GB).

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Larger & Smarter: LG’s G Pro 2

Expected to launch in March this year, LG’s new flagship G Pro 2 is like a larger version of the G2. It has the same back-mounted buttons and a new ‘metal mesh’ back panel which provides better grip and is resistant to fingerprints and smudges. The screen is a 5.9-inch 1080p unit while hardware includes the capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core processor, 3GB RAM and improved camera.

LG says that the G Pro 2 offers 20 per cent more effective optical image stabilisation and 30 per cent louder sound compared to the G2.

A new software enhancement is the Knock Code security feature — rather than just double tap to wake the device up, you can have a secret knock pattern that wakes up and unlocks the device in one go.

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Design Déjà vu: HP Pavilion x360

Taking inspiration from the Lenovo Yoga range of tablets, HP’s new Pavilion x360 is a touchscreen Windows convertible laptop with a hinge that can rotate 360 degrees.

This lets you use it as a laptop, tablet, stand or a ‘tent’. In tablet mode, the keyboard gets disabled to prevent accidental input. It has an 11-inch 1366 x 768 pixel screen, Intel processor, 500GB hard drive, three USB ports, HDMI out and has a starting price of just Rs 25,000.

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More the Merrier: SanDisk’s 128GB microSD

With everything going HD and beyond (Ultra High Def), people are running out of storage space on their devices faster than ever. 64GB was the largest capacity micro SD card available till date — SanDisk decided that users needed more and comfortably doubled that to 128GB — all in a chip smaller than your fingernail.

Most of the new devices coming out this year (such as the new Samsung Galaxy S5) already include support for this 128GB card. It should be priced between Rs 10,000 to 12,000.